This one is (as they say) for the collectors.
About a year-and-a-half ago, we took a listen to Bruce’s unreleased 1977 outtake “Don’t Say No,” and scratched our heads trying to make heads or tails of Bruce’s vocals, which were buried so far down in the mix that they challenge even the most astute of listeners.
It had a killer backing track, though, and I mentioned at the time that Bruce wouldn’t give up on finding a home for it over the next couple of years.
Well, this is Bruce’s next attempt. In “I Want to Be Wild,” the E Street Band takes a leap forward, tightening up the backing track, adding a wonderful Big Man sax solo, and a terrific mid-song drum break.
Unfortunately, though, Bruce now sounds like he’s singing underwater… when we can hear him singing at all.
We can make out enough of the constantly repeated chorus to agree that Bruce is singing “I wanna be wild,” but that’s about all I can decrypt.
What follows is a transcription from the kind folks at springsteenlyrics.com, but don’t ask me to vouch for it–I can’t make out even a fraction of what they purport to. (And what they do transcribe doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.)
I’m staying, I’m staying, but baby you’re killing me
And you know, you darlin’, you better now make it on time
And I want a forever and ever with you around
You’re running with speed and, uh, you better learn to work hard
There’s nothing at all, no one’s like us, no one is there outside
O-oh
I wanna be wild
I wanna be wild
I wanna be wild
I wanna be wild
Hey maybe you’re cool but baby you’re both’rin me
And only you can put me out of my misery
And I go out in the street for my love every time
And I wanna show love swinging round, when you’re around
I don’t remember, maybe you’ve been feelin’ a motor outside
Oooh wild
I wanna be wild
I wanna be wild
I wanna be wild
Big Man!
Right now I wanna drive wild
And I wanna drive wild
And I wanna be wild
And I wanna go wild
And I wanna go wild
And I wanna go wild
And I wanna go wild
And I wanna go wild
Want you to kiss me wild
And I wanna be wild
And I wanna go wild
And I wanna be wild
And I wanna see wild
And I wanna feel wild
And I wanna be wild
And I wanna be wild
It’s up to you, no one knows, no one is there outside
So, yeah… sure. We’ll go with that.
Assuming we take the above as gospel, it’s easy to see why Bruce didn’t include this 1977 outtake on Darkness on the Edge of Town. It would have been more at home on The River, and it does seem like Bruce tried at least once more to find a home for his instrumental track during those sessions, too.
We’ll pick up that thread another time.
I Want to Be Wild
Recorded: November 11, 1977 (demo only)
Never released
Never performed
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